Elevated blood-sugar levels in pregnancy tied to baby's heart-defect risk

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/sumc-eb100815.php

Public Release: 12-Oct-2015
Elevated blood-sugar levels in pregnancy tied to baby's heart-defect risk
Stanford University Medical Center

Pregnant women with elevated blood-sugar levels are more likely to have babies with congenital heart defects, even if their blood sugar is below the cutoff for diabetes, according to a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Children's Health.

The study, which will be published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Pediatrics, extends the scope of prior findings on the connection between maternal diabetes and fetal heart defects. It is the first to show the link in women without a diabetes diagnosis.

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